# Functional Ear Trainer vs Random Chord

The clearest difference is price: Functional Ear Trainer at Free against Random Chord's $2.99. Functional Ear Trainer also leads on ratings volume (3.7K vs 2). Random Chord's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). On rating, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Functional Ear Trainer is free to download; Random Chord costs $2.99 up front. Functional Ear Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Random Chord asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Functional Ear Trainer against 5.0 for Random Chord. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Functional Ear Trainer has 3.7K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 96% of Functional Ear Trainer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Random Chord's.

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, Random Chord every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Functional Ear Trainer | Random Chord |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | [4.9 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/random-chord/id1180443119/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 96.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 41 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Serhii Korchan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1088761925) | [AppicDesign](https://appshunter.io/developer/492684279) |

## What reviewers say

### Functional Ear Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926)

Develop your musical ear by learning to recognize tones within the context of a specific musical key. This app helps you understand the function of each note, improving your ability to transcribe, improvise, and play music by ear. Suitable for all ages and skill levels, with just 10 minutes of daily practice.

**Highlights:** Recognize tones in musical key context, Understand note function, Improve transcription skills, Enhance improvisation, Develop perfect pitch, Daily 10-minute practice

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Functional Ear Trainer Plus | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Effective ear training
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Customizable exercises
- 🎉 Noticeable improvement with regular practice
- 🎨 Visually appealing design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional audio glitches
- 💡 Lack of support for other instruments besides piano
- 💡 Desire for more advanced features (e.g. chord recognition)

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard display issues when selecting all chromatic notes
- Inconsistent note resolutions in some exercises

**Requested features**

- Add support for multiple notes/chords at once
- Implement a mode for training key recognition
- Provide more customization options for exercises
- Include voice input to play the notes
- Add support for German/Norwegian key names


### Random Chord

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/random-chord/id1180443119)

Practice musical improvisation with randomly generated chord progressions. Customize key, chord types, duration, and time signatures for personalized exercises. Supports various playback styles and includes a mixer for custom sound.

**Highlights:** Random chord generation, Customizable chord pools, Adjustable chord duration and loop settings, Support for different time signatures, Diatonic, Chromatic, Modal, and Custom modes, Multiple playback styles (Rock, Pop, Swing, etc.), Integrated mixer for sound control

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Functional Ear Trainer free?

Functional Ear Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Random Chord free?

Random Chord costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Functional Ear Trainer or Random Chord?

Random Chord is rated higher. Functional Ear Trainer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while Random Chord averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Functional Ear Trainer or Random Chord have ads?

Neither Functional Ear Trainer nor Random Chord shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Functional Ear Trainer or Random Chord?

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, and Random Chord every 3 months. Most recently, Functional Ear Trainer was updated on October 14, 2026 and Random Chord on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*